Lucien Smith "People Are Strange"

Lucien Smith
People Are Strange
September 4 — October 30, 2024 
17 Pike Street

 

Will Shott Gallery is pleased to present People are Strange, an exhibition by Lucien Smith featuring 80 small portraits of figures who frequently appear across media feeds.Inspired by The Doors' song, the exhibition delves into the complex and often surrealrelationship society has with fame in the digital age.

These familiar faces, repeatedly encountered online, become etched into memory, transforming into characters in an ongoing narrative that feels both intimate and distant. These works speak to our perceptions of familiarity, exploring how repeated exposure can alter our sense of importance and connection to these figures. The exhibition illustrates how media conditions us to value and idealize these individuals, often distorting our sense of their true significance.

In a Warholian gesture, Smith documents an era of celebrity, capturing the fleeting moments of recognition that define modern fame and the transitory nature of influencer culture. Warhol's famous assertion that "In the future, everyone will be worldfamous for 15 minutes" echoes throughout the exhibition, as Smith explores the evolution of fame in the digital age.

The title People are Strange reflects the artist's contemplation of fame and the inherent awkwardness in its pursuit. The collection serves as a meditation on the bizarre dynamics of contemporary celebrity, where faces are simultaneously familiar yet distant, and the boundaries between reality and perception blur. 

 

INSTALLATION